The UCSF Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences is an interdisciplinary program that trains students for research careers investigating the molecular basis of tissue and organ function in health and disease. It offers a novel integrative curriculum, designed specifically for graduate students, which provides a foundation in cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry as applied to research problems in human developmental biology, physiology, and disease. Training is supported by laboratory rotations, journal clubs, and research seminars. The program's faculty consists of 110 members drawn from both basic science and clinical departments. Their research interests are broad, but focused into eight thematic areas: Cancer Biology and Cell Signaling, Human Genetics, Vascular and Cardiac Biology, Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Immunology, Microbial Pathogenesis and Virology, Neuroscience, and Tissue/Organ Biology and Endocrinology. Trainees are chosen from a national applicant pool, with special effort to include underrepresented minorities. The interdisciplinary spirit of the program reflects the interactive scientific culture at UCSF. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Trainees study multiple human diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, developmental disorders, infectious diseases (such as AIDS), immunological diseases (such as asthma), diabetes and neurological disorders. The broad training allows graduates to develop careers in academia identifying molecular and cellular underpinnings of major human diseases or in the biotech sector developing novel therapeutics.